President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a strategic move aimed at establishing the legal framework necessary to implement state police across Nigeria.
The panel, represented by the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, was unveiled at the Presidential Villa in Abuja following the Senate’s recent passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.
This legislative milestone proposes a dual policing structure, separating the system into the Federal Police Service and 36 individual State Police Services. President Tinubu clarified that while the constitutional amendment provides the structural foundation, the National Policing Bill is essential for actual implementation.
“The Constitution Amendment Bill establishes the framework for dual policing, but it does not operationalise it. That work is left to the National Policing Bill,” Tinubu stated.
The committee is tasked with producing a draft bill that covers critical areas, including:
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Minimum policing standards.
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State readiness certification.
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Federal-state coordination.
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Accountability and human rights safeguards.
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Personnel transition and fiscal conditions.
The Working Group, chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi emphasized the urgency of the reform given the nation’s security climate, urging state governors to ensure speedy ratification by state assemblies.
NBA President Afam Osigwe also expressed strong support for the move, noting, “Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police.”
However, Osigwe cautioned that the legal framework must be robust enough to “ensure we do not create a monster,” emphasizing the need to prevent potential abuses of power.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, speaking for the NGF, pledged the governors’ commitment to the reform, revealing plans to have the bill passed across all state assemblies simultaneously.
He noted that the initiative acts as a response to the long-standing public demand for community-based policing, further citing the success of regional outfits like Amotekun.
“If each state deploys about 6,000 personnel, we will add nearly 200,000 officers to complement the existing federal police,” Abiodun added.
The committee is expected to produce an implementation-ready draft immediately, ensuring the country is prepared as soon as the constitutional amendment process concludes.
